Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-08
DAILY HERALD.
THE CITY PRISON.
How the Institution is
Conducted.
BATHING OF THE PRISONERS.
The Headquarters of the Police
Officers aud the Fellows
They Arrest.
BATHING OF THE PRISONERS.


inal element, policemen and the re
porters. On Second street, abov,
Spring, stands the City Hall, two
Story brick structure which has only
been built few years, but is fast be
coming prey to decay. Its walls art
cracking all over, the mortar is fas
becoming loose, and in all probabilit,
it will bear strong resemblance t,
the City Hall ruins in San Francisc,
before the city's proposed new struc
ture is completed. In one corner O
the building is the doorway which
leads in to the city prison
over the Threshold OF whicl
innumerable prisoners have ''trudged
their weary way" Outside the dool
and around the street close by the
building are a number of chairs which
are constantly adorned with police
men, who congregate there. Some
are talking upon police news, or the
competency of their superior officer,
while others are sitting around hold
ing papers up side down, intently read.
ing, as it were. sOn entering the pris-
on the visitor st6mbles against an old
bench which is used by the guardians
OF the peace to camp on and which is
furnished by the tailors, who receive
considerable recomI else in the way Of
replenishing pantaloons. On the left
side extends an iron railing, the inclos-
ure OF which contains lhe prison
keepers desk, a locker and couple of
chairs. On either side of the room
are the lockers where the stalwart
officers store their clothes. On top of
the closets about sixteen drums, in
cluding large bass drum, are stored
by kind permission of one of the offic-
ers who is a member of the G. A. r.
Frequently tourists visit the station
and usually stand looking at the in
struments of torture, wondering
whether they are in q prison or an
armory. Their curiosity is appeased
when they hear the military tread of
the prison-keeper making tour of the
cells to see if anyone has escaped.
The cracks in the WALL ale SO wide
that the authorities are in mortal
dread for fear some of the
drunks, while asleep and dreaming,
may roll over and fall through the
aperatures. Over the right-hand side
of the Assembly-room is Chief Skin
ner's office, which is ornamented by
the rotund form of Clerk Clark, who
amuses himself by leaning on the
window-sill, with countenance which
looks as though he would be more
comfortable stretched out on the
lounge in the corner of the office.
The lounge, once new, is fast wearing
out. The springs are weakening and
the covering has become so threadbare
that horse blanket has been
spread over it to hide its shabbi-
ness. Upon the lounge often may
be seen the weary form of
patrolman, whose gentle snore beats
responsive to the fog horn notes of
some poor incarcerated prisoner.
THE CELLS
Open off of long corridor which leads
from the assembly room. At the end
of the corridor is cell No. 10, the most
important of all. In here are to be
found class of prisoners which re-
sembles very much the happy family
at Woodward's s Gardens in San Fran
cisco. The cell is large room about
thirty-six feet long by twenty feet
wide. Cots are arranged all around
the sides, and the floor is made of
stone. Here are to be found prisoners
Gagged for fighting, drunkenness, va
grancy and the violation of the city's
ordinances. At night they have no
light, but it is far from
dark for them. Each inmate usually
sits behind cigarette or a pipe, the
glare from which relieves the monot-
ony of the gloom. They manage to
fill the room with smoke, and when
the cell door is opened the odor that
is emitted resembles very much the
smell of an opium joint.
BATHING THE PRISONERS.
There is faucet on one side of the
room to which is attached long hose.
1t is very amusing spectacle to the
favored few who are permitted to he
present, to watch the way in which
prisoners are bathed. They are di-
vested of their clothing and stand up
shivering in the middle of the stone
floor. One of the "trustys" then
takes the hose and after turn
ing on the water plays
the stream on the unfor-
tunate prisoner. He usually aims the
current for either the eyes or mouth of
the victim, and takes considerable de-
light in listening to the heart-rending
appeal of the prisoner to be spared the
torture. The other cells are inhabited
by "crooks" of a higher order, all the
way from the petty thief to perhaps a
murderer or a burglar. When Wis
itor enters they place their hardened
mugs against the wicket and pour into
his ear their version of the reason why
they are confined. OF course they are
always Sin for nothing" and they in
variably refer to the arresting officer
in anything but complimentary terms.
1t is very seldom that Il female pris-
oner finds her way within the
sacred portals of the station.
Nearly all the female arrests
are confined to the fallen women, and
they are nearly always able to deposit
cash bail to any amount. Occasion
ally, however, some deserted and for
lorn creature is arrested and unable
to furnish her bail. She is usually
allowed to sit in one of the corridors
by day, and at night bed is made
for her upon a cot.
FEEDING THE PRISONERS.
The prisoners receive three
SQUARE meals each day. 1t
usually consists of big piece
of meat, loaf of bread, coffee,
and sometimes soup. The food is
GOOD and the prisoners never COM
plain OF hunger. When the
prisoners are arrested they are
booked at the city prison, and
locked up over night. The next
morning they appear in court and are
either taken to the county Jail or dis
charged, as the case may be, Three
times day the police force "changes
Watch,,-at 4 A. NJ, II NJ. and 8P. NJ.